When I first looked at this project, I was very surprised to have a feeling that it would not take much time. Given that many of the steps can be implemented at home, this very much can be a “at home” business, which it would have good sales on Etsy;) saying this opinion, I had fun learning a technique that can be done anywhere!

Step 1: Mixing the main ingredients together (alginate + water and plaster + water)

On the homework document, it said that, in order to create the mold for our finger hooks, we needed to mix alginate and water in a 1:1 ratio. However, when I was mixing it, it looked weird, so in the end, I ended up having a 1:4 ratio of alginate and water. My weird method to ensure that I was continuing to mix the same amount of each every time I created a new mold, I weighed out around ~40 g of alginate and ~160 g of water. This created a good consistency and I was happy to go ahead and start the project. I also created my plaster mixture so I can just pour it in right after my mold sets since it has a longer pot life. For this, I tried to stay consistent with the 2:1 ratio of plaster to water, but I ended up overpouring on water, and then having to try and compensate with pouring more plaster, and then overdid on that, and the process continued like that:/ Looking back at it, I wish I was a little more observant on what measurements I used since I think that would have helped me cut back on all of the excess mixture I made (and the ingredients I used for no reason:().

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 2: Make the decision to commit

After mixing the mold mixture for around 4 minutes, I dipped in my index finger and let it sit there for around 6 minutes (it was a bit cold, so I am not sure how the weather affected the creating of the mold). I wish I had more confidence in pulling out my finger from the mold since, because I was doubtful of the actual process in that regard, I wiggled my finger more than necessary to create a bigger hole to get it out easier. Therefore, it is not an exact mold of my finger, but I still like the outcome! After I finished that mold, I poured my (hopefully good) plaster mix in there and dipped the head of the screw in there with it being hung by the masking tape. I redid this process with another mold and had two sitting for around an hour for the plaster to harden:)

 

 

 

 

Step 3: Analyze the fingers I have:)

After my plaster dried, I removed the two fingers from their respective molds and was careful not to break the mold in the chance that I wanted to reuse it (and it was also still within the time frame of it staying attached to the cup it was in). Therefore, since one of the fingers came out so well (it shows the wrinkles of my finger along with the screw head not showing) and the other one had the screw head showing, I figured that I would pour in those same molds again and get two more. I repeated the same mixing process for the plaster and it became waiting time again:)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 4: Try, try, and try again

After I waited the hour, I checked back on those fingers I just poured in (2nd attempt on those same initial molds) and I had the same problem with the screw head as I did before:/ I could not figure out what I was doing wrong with my placement, so I created another mold mixture and poured it in. The issue I was running in to at that time was that I wanted the fingers I turned in to have the same shape as each other and be replicates of each other. Therefore, Darrell had a great idea of inserting the hardened finger (with a tiny bit of the screw showing) from the mold I liked to try and ensure that it had the same shape as the finger I liked the most! Therefore, I repeated the process yet again another two times in the same mold (the first one of that batch ended up having the screw head protrude again), and I finally realized it was because the screw was not shallow enough in the plaster (took me long enough to realize it:/). I wish I had read the instructions more closely because I looked at them later and realized it said to submerge the screw slightly into the plaster mix. At the end of this assignment, I basically molded and casted 6 fingers instead of just 2:/ However, I finally ended with two fingers I really liked the look of!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 5: Post-processing!

I ended up post processing three fingers since I wanted to utilize the two fingers that did not have the screw protruding out of them and I just really liked the look of one of the other fingers I created. Therefore, I wanted to showcase the natural color of the plaster since I thought it gave it that “old elegant statue” feel. Therefore, I used the Crystal Clear spray paint by Rust-Oleum and just put on one coat to make sure that they were post-processed in a way. In addition, I chipped off the excess plaster at the base of a finger or two to make sure that they are somewhat even in their presentation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 6: Model Baby;)

Here are the results of my creation;) Enjoy and tell me on a scale of 1-3 fingers how much you like it! 1 being awful and 3 being beautiful;)

Step 7: Figure out if this was worth it!

As always, there is a reflection at the end of the blog. Here is my price breakdown!

Alginate ($7 Aginate Make a Mold): $7

Water ($7 from pack of water bottles): $7

Popsicle Sticks ($6 from Amazon, pack of 100): $6

Plaster of Paris ($8 from Michaels Stores): $8

6 x Screws ($1 for each): $6

Labor cost ($7.50 x 5 hours): $37.50

Spray Paint ($7 from Home Depot): $7

Total Cost: $78.50

Looking back on this project, if I had placed the screw in the correct place (many times), then it would not have taken near as long, which would cut down the total cost of my product significantly. However, it was a good learning experience that can help teach me for other projects that sometimes placement really is the deciding factor for if a product will sell or not! In addition, I noticed on a couple of fingers that there were a couple of holes (it was on the inside) and I am still trying to figure out how those got there in the first place since the last time I checked, I did not have those holes in my own fingers. Overall, I am happy with this project and am glad that it is done:)